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Court decision on Armadale development may have wide-ranging implications

Updated
Thu 19 Sep 2013, 8:12 AM AEST

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Stonnington Council rejected the proposal in 2011, but that decision was overturned by VCAT.

ABC TV News

A residents' group in Melbourne's south-eastern suburbs says it is anxious to find out the outcome of a bitter planning dispute.

The Victorian Supreme Court will hand down its decision today on the future of a 13-storey development in Armadale.

Stonnington Council rejected the proposal in 2011, but that decision was overturned by VCAT.

The tribunal's ruling that the "extent of community opposition was irrelevant" is at the centre of the dispute.

The case could have implications for planning laws across the State.

Orrong Group convenor, Margot Carroll, says residents believe the matter has gone on long enough.

"They're feeling extremely frustrated because they've actually made it clear time and time again what their vision for that site is," she said.

Ms Carroll says the decision will affect planning disputes across the state.

"It has tremendous implications because while this is about a particular development, the actual ruling that VCAT made about the resident's opposition would apply to just about every planning application in Victoria," she said.